Support Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) in His December 6th Runoff Election
Click this link to contribute to his US Senate Campaign — Donate now to keep Georgia blue and expand our Senate majority!
Charles M. Schulz’s 100th Birthday Tribute
I’ve written in the past about the significant contributions made by “Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz to women’s sports and his active support of Title IX.
This week is his 100th birthday. This entire diary consists of tributes to Schulz by his peers.
I’ll post at least another 15-20 editorial cartoons about domestic politics in the comments section. The topics include senseless gun violence, hateful talk about the LGBT Community, Trump’s third try for the presidency, Twitter’s implosion, the Russia-Ukraine War, and Turkey Day.
Below is an excerpt from a diary I wrote last year about the historic Billie Jean King-Bobby Riggs 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match at a time when women’s sports at the collegiate level — let alone at the high school and middle school levels — were virtually non-existent.
King struck a blow for equality when she prevailed over Riggs in straight sets 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 as I detailed in this two-part diary — “The Male is King, the Male is Supreme, and Women Should Know That." (Part I)
In the early 1970s, women’s professional sports was not the only field afflicted by a serious case of sexism, inequity, and misogyny. It was commonplace, widespread, and rampant in society, designed to keep women “in their place.”
Not only was financial discrimination embedded in this system, but it was taken for granted that there was nothing abnormal about such inequities.
On broadcast television in the early 1970s, women’s sports got very little coverage. The introduction of Title IX would dramatically change that. Almost three decades later after the United States won the 1999 Women’s Soccer World Cup, women’s professional soccer matches would draw more viewers than some men’s matches. This was virtually unthinkable in the 1970s.
What exactly was Title IX legislation? What was it supposed to achieve? Did it also apply to sports? At the time, how did women fare in sports at the collegiate level? And why was Title IX seen as a threat to ending male dominance in college sports, particularly by football coaches?
Once proponents decided to explore whether the provisions of Title IX also applied to extracurricular activities like football, only in due time would the answers become clearer to these questions.
An unlikely promoter of this change was Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. The Peanuts cartoon strip was seen by hundreds of millions of people around the world and provided Schulz with a platform few others had. (Link to Part 2 of My Diary)
“I have a vision, Chuck … I can see the day coming when women will have the same opportunities in sports as men!” — Peppermint Patty, September 27, 1979 — Charles M Schulz Museum.
Attribution for above cartoons: Stanley Kay, “How Peanuts' Peppermint Patty became a fierce advocate for female athletes,” Sports Illustrated, August 19, 2016.
- You can see numerous tributes by syndicated cartoonists around the country remembering “Peanuts” and Charles Schulz on the occasion of his 100th birthday — A Cartoonist Tribute.
- Additionally, you can see cartoons and personal messages of remembrance by cartoonists and celebrities from all over the world — #Schulz100.
I’m going to post over 50 cartoons and other interesting tweets below from both categories.
Ann Telnaes is the Editorial Cartoonist for the Washington Post
In honor of what would have been Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz’s 100th birthday on November 26, 2022, syndicated cartoonists across the country have paid tribute to the Peanuts creator in their own comic strips published on the date.
Schulz is the only cartoonist ever to receive this honor — a fitting tribute for a man who devoted his entire life to cartooning.
What Makes a Good Citizen?
Tributes to Charles Schulz by Other Cartoonists and Fans
Attribution: B.C. by Mason Mastroianni, Mick Mastroianni and Johnny Hart — Schulz Museum
Finally…
An Incredible Chandelier
In Prison for Telling the Truth in Iran
Inspirational Art
Don’t Denigrate Women. Just Don’t.
Diary Poll
Why do so many people like comic strips? Here are a few reasons, as given by a reader of the Laurinburg Exchange in Laurinburg, North Carolina.
Comic strip characters often put into words what most adults feel but can’t often articulate clearly. The “Peanuts Gang” did a particularly good job of this.
Daily comic strips play an important role in our lives, from childhood to retirement. Comics give children a reason to read the paper. Before I could understand the words, I would look at the pictures and ask my mom to read the words to me. When I went to school, I’d read the comics before doing (or not doing) my homework. My siblings and I would talk about the adventures of Calvin and Hobbes, or the offbeat Far Side comic we had stuck on the fridge.
Because of the daily comics pages in my local newspapers, I was encouraged to read. I discovered the books and films that inspired the cartoonists. I found a passion for art. I was encouraged to read the rest of the newspaper by the editorial cartoons because I wanted to understand the jokes. Now, the few minutes spent reading the comics page provide a welcome break from the events of the day. I’m sure I’m not the only one with an appreciation for the daily comics strips.
I have only listed some of the more popular comic strips in the diary poll. Which one do you like the best?
